Disciples of Mad Jenkins
The Disciples of Mad Jenkins is the colloquial name that is commonly applied to the self-styled Sons of a Thousand Suns, Born of the Exalted Union Between Man and Many, United in Space and Time by Archibald Jenkins our Founder. As the group’s chosen name is rather unwieldy in all but a handful of languages, and also based on the fact that they are widely considered to have been a cult, the colloquial name has taken precedence even in historical circles. The Disciples are most famous for the construction of Eden, a sprawling patchwork of a space station that grew ever larger and more complex before being conquered by interstellar pirates in 920 SE and repurposed. Founding Archibald Jenkins, known to history as Mad Jenkins, was born on Miranda in 629 SE. Despite a relatively comfortable upbringing, he frequently lashed out at authority figures and family members, effectively distancing himself from all loved ones in his early adulthood. Unfortunately for Jenkins, he lived largely during the Galactic Mental Health Crisis, and so any conditions from which he suffered went untreated and can only be speculated on now. Jenkins soon took to preaching on street corners, espousing the “great damage done to society by women and the many benefits of male homosexual intercourse.” A regular visitor of the Ugunlia Hot Springs , he there met and recruited the first of his followers. Eventually his cult grew, with members funneling funds to support the operations and recruiting efforts of the sect. Tenets of the Disciples The Disciples followed a wide range of doctrines as dictated by Jenkins and his successors, the most notable and basic of which were: *All men exist as one entity in a separate universe, and it is only in this universe that men exist as separate beings; *Being physically separated from other men is harmful to the well-being of any and every man; *Women are a distraction and danger to the well-being of all men, and prevent men from truly knowing one another; *Homosexual sex brings men together in this universe, and thus engaging in these acts is the greatest contribution a man can make to society; *To promote unity among all men, women are to be shunned and where local laws permit, killed. According to the teachings of Mad Jenkins, when a woman gives birth to a male child, she steals his soul from the “Great Masculine” in a separate universe and forces it into existence in this one, with the vagina acting as an inter-dimensional portal. Men who procreate with women are therefore doing a disservice to society, either by stealing more men from the separate universe or by allowing more females into the world to steal those men. Rather, men should engage in homosexual relations with other men. In so doing, according to Jenkins, men become as close as possible to one another physically and emotionally, mimicking the Great Masculine of the separate universe. This also allows men to achieve sexual release without having to rely on women, which Jenkins called “probably the most important part, really.” Construction of Eden In 680 SE, with membership in the Disciples growing ever larger and the organization’s coffers growing simultaneously, Jenkins hatched a plan to construct his own cyberplanet. He envisioned the space as being capable of holding every man in the galaxy and where he would be supreme leader, free of the regulations of governments and away from women. Here, men would be allowed to live and have sex with each other in peace, waiting to die and return to the separate universe. Jenkins approached numerous construction firms on Miranda, each of which expressed interest in the project (Jenkins promised exorbitant sums of money) but ultimately refused him due to his lack of ability to articulate his vision. Even after the Mirandan government offered to help pay for Eden’s construction simply to get the Disciples off of the planet, no contractor stepped forward. Instead, Jenkins and his Disciples set off on building Eden themselves. Over the next 240 years, Eden grew ever upwards and outwards from the small asteroid on which it began. Patchwork in nature, the “planet” was really more a network of decommissioned starships that were strung together with transport tubes. Originally envisioned as a home for trillions of men, Eden never housed more than a million at a time. Without women present to produce children, Eden relied solely on adult converts to join the movement. Numbers gradually declined following the death of Jenkins in 733 SE, with many tales of young men immigrating to Eden only to leave shortly thereafter. Said one unimpressed pilgrim, “I mean I’m gay, so I figured why not? Sounded like paradise at the time… they even named it Eden! Well I get there and I stay for a little bit, but it turns out that the sorts of men who want to go live together on a space station and do nothing but have sex with each other are not exactly the sorts of men that I want to be having sex with. Lots of weirdos, you know?” Dissolution The Disciples of Mad Jenkins came to their sudden demise in 920 SE, when Eden was invaded and conquered by interstellar pirates led by the notorious Captain Regulus von Reyne . Curiously, the pirates were reportedly welcomed as heroes by the Disciples. Death in their minds meant a return to the Great Masculine. von Reyne and company were all too happy to provide the Disciples with this gift. Subsequently, Eden was repurposed as the pirate stronghold known as Junction II .